Google Unveils Kids-Friendly YouTube App

On Monday, Google launched its first product that is built exclusively in-house and with children in mind – a kid-friendly YouTube app. The app for Android devices is already available for free in Google Play market place.

The YouTube kids app eliminates all adult-oriented content from YouTube and only includes videos geared towards kids.

Google wrote on its blog on Monday that the videos in the app are narrowed down to content appropriate for kids, and that one can be able to browse playlists and channels in four categories namely: Music, Learning, Explore and Shows.

You can also search for videos that are of interest to your family, like the amazing world of trains, math tutorials, how to build a model volcano, etc.

YouTube has followed the footsteps of other video providers like Netflix that has its own kids section. Both the YouTube and Netflix apps have support for parental controls, so only contents that are appropriate to kids can be allowed by the parents to be viewed.

The parental control allows parents to limit searchable content, screen time and even sound. Amazon also has its version of parental control called FreeTme, which can control what is to be viewed and for how long.

Google said over the last year that several teams within the company have been eyeing ways to produce products that are solely for kids, and the YouTube kids app is a step in that direction.

Google has also acquired Launchpad Toys, the maker of Toontastic which is a very popular storytelling app for kids. Launchpad Toys deals with children-focused products.

YouTube kids app has large icons to make it easier for kids to choose their desired programming. According to Google, the app will be made available to the Nabi and Kurio kid’s tablets soon.